Rail-joint.



PATENTED NOV. 17, 1903. A. B. TOMLIN,

- RAIL JOINT.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 31, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

. UNITED STATES Patented November 17, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

RAIL-JOINT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 744,262, dated November 17, 1903.

Application filed March 31, 1902. Serial No. 100,788. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALBERT B. ToMLIN, citizen of the United States, residing at Fort Collins, in the county of Larimer and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail- Joints; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention has relation to improve ments in rail-joints.

In the construction of railroads allowance must be made at the meeting ends of the track-rails for the expansion and contraction of the rails caused by changes of temperature. This allowance produces a great many open joints, especially in cold weather. These open joints are unavoidable, and this invention is intended to modify, reduce, or entirely suppress the hammering noise and action made by the car-wheels and the jolting motion of the cars due to the passage of the wheels over said open joints.

The invention relates particularly to a combined fish-plate and bridge-rail upon the outside of the rails and in connection with the ordinary form of fish-plate upon the inside and ordinary fastenings for securing the fishplates to the rails.

The object of the invention is to provide a combined outer fish plate and bridgerail which is adapted to perform the ordinary service of a fish-plate and at the same time to span the joint between the rail ends, forming a short rail upon which the carwheels may run smoothly over the joint.

A further and essential object of the invention is to provide a bridge-rail which is applicable to rails of ordinary construction and obviates the necessity'of notching or otherwise shaping the rails to enable it to be fitted in position.

With these and other ends in view, which will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, said invention consists of certain novel features and parts and combinations of the same, as will be fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings,

in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is an outer side view of a rail-joint constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan View thereof. Fig. 3 is a cross-section. Fig. 4. is a perspective view of the combined fish-plate and bridge-rail.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numerals 1 and 2 represent the meeting ends of two adjacent rails; 3, the inner fish-plate; 4, the combined outer fishplate and bridge-rail, and 5 bolts uniting the fish-plates and rails.

The combined fish-plate and bridge-rail comprises a body portion 6 of uniform thick ness and extending from the rails under the rail-heads to-the outer edge of the foot or flanges of the rails and resting thereon and adapted for theinner portion of the top to bear upon the under surfaces of the rail-heads and the outer portion of the top forminga shoulder 7, extending outwardly from the rail-head to a point perpendicular from the outer edge of the flanges of the rails. A bridge-rail 8 rises vertically from the shoulder'7 to a height sufficient to receive the tread of the.passing carwheel and is adapted to bear upon the outer edge of the rail-heads and span the joint between said heads. The purpose of the shoul der or bearing portion 7 is to form a support for the bridge-rail 8 and sustain it against the heavy pressure falling thereon upon the passage of a car, locomotive, or train.

As shown, the bridge-rail 8 is adapted to bear directly against the sides of the heads of rails of ordinary formand bridges the joint between the rail ends in such manner as to act as an auxiliary rail on which the tread of the wheel ,rolls in passing over the joint. Hence it will be readily perceived that the necessity of recessing or otherwise shaping the rails to adapt the bridge-rail to be fitted in position for use is avoided and that as the bridge-rail supports the wheel in passing over the joint hammering on the ends of the rails and the jolting motion of the cars are greatly modifiedorentirelysuppressed. Thebridgerail and its bearing-shoulder also prevent abnormal pressure from falling against the ends of the rails upon the passage of a car, locomotive, or train thereover, and thus obviate downward displacement of said rail ends and the unequal and abnormal wear and tear thereon ensuing upon such displacement, by which means the life of the rails is considerably prolonged. The ends of the rail 8 terminate abruptly each between the bolt-holes at that end of the body portion 6 of the plate, thereby permitting the portion of the body extending beyond the end of the bridge-rail to have sufficient flexibility to be drawn tightly against the side of the web of the rail even though the central portion cannot be drawn in against the web for any reason, as on account of the bridge-rail being a trifle too large to fit in between the tread and the base of the rails or from some slight unevenness of the meeting ends of said rails; but as this trouble disappears after use ashort time the central portion of the plate 6 can be drawn up tight against the web, the flexible endsin the meantime holdingthe parts firmly in position.

The bridge-rail 8 may be formed integral with the fish-plate 4 by casting the two together, or it maybe welded to the shoulder 7 or bolted or otherwise secured to said shoulder, the shoulder acting in either case as a support for said bridge-rail.

By the use of my invention the objections and difficulties arising from the contraction of the rails in cold weather are efiectuallyavoided,the hammering of the wheels on the ends of the rails reduced to the minimum or entirely avoided, the ends of the rails held more firmly united, and downward displacement of the rail ends prevented in an efiective manner.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it is thought that the construction, operation, and advantages of my improved rail-joint will be readily apparent without requiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. As a new article of manufacture, acornbined fish-plate and bridge-rail consisting of a perforated longitudinal body portion, the lower edge of which is provided with a flange to rest on the base of a railroad-rail and the upper edge is adapted to fit under the tread of said rail, and a bridge-rail rising vertically from the intermediate portion of said body and having its ends each terminating at a point between the holes at that end of the body portion, the inner face of the bridgerailconforming with the exterior of the tread of the railroad-rail and the top extending to the top of said tread.

2. In a rail-joint, the combination, with the adjacent ends of two railroad-rails, of two perforated fish-plates bolted to opposite sides thereof, one of said plates being provided with a flange that fits upon the base of said rails and the upper edge being provided with an upwardly-rising bridge-rail that extends to the top of the treads of said rails and having its inner face corresponding to and engaging with said treads,the ends of said bridgerail each terminating at a point between the perforations at that end of said plate.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALBERT B. TOMLIN.

\Vitnesses:

CORA M. ANDERSON, P. ANDERSON. 

